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Merrovian Legions
The Merrovian Legions are the armed forces of the Merrovian Empire History The Merrovian Legions can trace their ancestry back to the original Legion, a military force created by the first Emperor, Meriditus, prior to the creation of the Empire itself. Initially created as a militia to suppress banditry in the wilderness, Meriditus sought out opportunities for his "Merrovian Legion" to hire out as mercenaries, securing thereby not only wealth, but also training and equipment. The success of his Legion attracted many recruits, and by 2194 the "militia" numbered over forty thousand. It was in 2194 that the Legion supported Meriditus' coup against the corrupt leadership of many towns along the Flume River, an event that laid the very foundations of the Merrovian Empire. By 2196 the conquest of the Flume Valley was complete, and Meriditus took the respite as an opportunity to reorganise his army. While the Legion had evolved an unofficial structure over the years - cavalry in one group, skirmishers in another, heavy infantry in yet a third - Meriditus took this structure and organised it into something that would last centuries. Most fundamentally, he divided the Legion into multiple smaller Legions, naming himself as Emperor the commander-in-chief of the Legions as a whole. The Legions would remain the most important support of the Imperial throne for two hundred years, until the reign of Emperor Dulum III, known in the Legions as Dulum the Even Worse. In 2401, at Dulum III's direct order, the 51st Legion was sent, alone and unsupported, across the Nahoon River into Raven as a punitive expedition. The Ravenites were able to surround and greatly outnumber the 51st, who were destroyed to the last man. This marked the first defeat of an Imperial Legion, and greatly damaged Dulum's prestige among the Legions. Following the Adele Crisis in 2414 and Dulum's direct and utterly lamentable personal leadership and unfortunate death, the Legions decided for the first time to take a hand in choosing the next Emperor. They chose Girtin, Dulum's second cousin, who was perhaps, in hindsight, not the best choice. He recruited his notorious Emperor's Guardians from the Legions, and was soon assassinated, as was his heir, Frelwor. The next Emperor, Dunstain, attempted to order the entirety of the Merrovian military north to "re-conquer" Raven and Imladris, and was almost instantly assassinated in turn. The constant cavalcade of incompetent and dangerous Emperors drove the Legion commanders to distraction, and finally, in 2420 they staged the Winter Coup, installing a military government. This government lasted a little under four years, until the Great Revolt of 2424. Ceding power to the Imperial Council, the Legions remained subservient to the Emperor until 2473, when, following the death of Octavian, the Legion general Tullius was appointed Emperor. Following Tullius' death in 2497, the Legions fought amongst themselves for the throne, in the Imperial Civil War. By the end of the war, the Legions were decimated - barely a hundred legions remained, where once there had been a thousand. Many of the "lost" Legions had in fact either dispersed or sworn themselves to one of the many independent nation-states that sprang up in the territory that had once been the Empire's. Structure An Imperial Legion is, in theory, one thousand men strong, each Legion being divided into ten hundred-man companies, each of which is made up of ten ten-man squads. In practice, the requirements of a Legion often mean that it has considerably more than its official numbers, especially as the "one thousand men" refers only to combat strength - no to support troops, grooms, porters, cooks, that sort of thing. Legions can be roughly divided into three types - heavy infantry, light infantry, and cavalry. Heavy infantry The heavy infantry legions are the strong arm of the Empire. Most heavy infantry legions are split into the traditional ten companies, with soldiers advancing from Tenth Company to First Company by length of service. Each company is led by a Company Captain, and each Legion by its Legate. Light infantry Seen as less prestigious than the heavy infantry, the light infantry serve as skirmishers, scouts and decoys for the heavy legions. Light legions are split into companies, but typically operate in ten-man squads, of which ten squads make up a company. This independence of spirit is the primary cultural difference between the light and heavy infantry. Cavalry Cavalry units are composed primarily of the sons of wealthy families, as care and maintenance of a horse is not a cheap endeavour. While the majority of cavalry legions share the 10-company structure of the infantry legions, cavalry legions rarely deploy in company strength, preferring to keep themselves massed for the charge. Equipment Heavy infantry The heavy infantryman's equipment consists of scale mail armour, a short sword and large steel shield. Officers and veterans often wear heavier armour and wield longswords, but the shield-focused tactics of the heavy infantry prohibit the use of two-handed weapons. Light infantry Light infantrymen wear studded leather armour and are typically armed with either javelins or shortbows, depending on their aptitude. Light infantrymen are sometimes given shields, but every light infantryman knows that if they're forced into pitched battle, someone somewhere has made a terrible mistake. Cavalry Calvalrymen typically supply their own armour, but the majority chose chainmail rather than plate armours as Imperial cavalry tactics revolve around speed, tactical flexibility and superior positioning. Category:Military Organisations